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The POW/MIA flag is an American flag designed as a symbol of citizen concern about US military personnel taken as
(POWs) or listed as
The POW/MIA flag was created by the
and officially recognized by the
in conjunction with the , "as the symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation."
The original design for the flag was created by Newt Heisley in 1972 The National League of Families then-national coordinator, POW wife , oversaw its development and also campaigned to gain its widespread acceptance and use by the United States government and also local governments and civilian organizations across the United States.
In 1971, while the
was still being fought, Grahme Wilkin, the wife of a service member missing in action and member of the , recognized the need for a symbol of U.S. POW/MIAs, some of whom had been held captivity for as many as seven years. The flag is black, and bears in the center, in black and white, the emblem of the league. The emblem was designed by , and features a white disk bearing in black silhouette the bust of a man (Jeffery Heisley), watch tower with a guard on patrol, and a s above the disk are the white letters POW and MIA framing a white 5- below the disk is a black and white wreath above the white motto: "You are not Forgotten." The POW/MIA was flown over the White House for the first time in Sept 1982 The flag has bee the colors have been switched from black with white – to red, white and blue – the POW/MIA has at times been revised to MIA/POW.
On March 9, 1989, a league flag that had flown over the
on the 1988 National POW/MIA Recognition Day was installed in the
rotunda as a result of legislation passed by the . The league's POW-MIA flag is the only flag ever displayed in the rotunda, and the only one other than the
to have flown over the White House. The leadership of both houses of Congress hosted the installation ceremony in a demonstration of bipartisan congressional support.
On August 10, 1990, the
passed U.S. Public Law 101-355, recognizing the National League of Families POW/MIA Flag and designating it "as a symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation." Beyond Southeast Asia, it has been a symbol for POW/MIAs from all U.S. wars.
The flag is ambiguous as it implies that personnel listed as MIA may in fact be held captive. The official, bipartisan, U.S. Government position is that there is "no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia". The
(DPMO) provides centralized management of prisoner of war/missing personnel (POW/MP) affairs within the
and is responsible for investigating the status of POW/MIA issues. As of August 5, 2010, the DPMO lists 1,711 Americans as
from the Vietnam War: 969 cases being pursued, 117 cases deferred, and 625 cases not being pursued due to the circumstances and/or location of loss. The DPMO has received 1,997 first-hand reports of live sightings of purported U.S. POWs since 1975, of which only 55 (2.75%) remain unresolved.
Plaque using the symbol
With the passage of Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act during the first term of the , the POW/MIA Flag was specified to fly each year on:
—Third Saturday in May
—Last Monday in May
—Third Friday in September
—November 11
The POW/MIA Flag will be flown on the grounds or the public lobbies of major military installations as designated by the , all Federal National Cemeteries, the , the , the , the
and at official offices of the , Defense and , and Director of the . Civilians are free to fly the POW/MIA flag whenever they wish.
In the U.S. armed forces, the dining halls, mess halls and chow halls display a single table and chair in a corner draped with the POW-MIA flag as a symbol for the missing, thus reserving a chair in hopes of their return.
Other color patterns exist: the orange and black pattern was run by Outpost Flags at the time of 's 100th anniversary, so that the
would help keep the issue alive and in the forefront of American politics. There are red and white versions, which some say are to cover more recent military actions, but this is not official policy. There are black and red versions available as well.
is the official name of Long Island's Sunrise Highway.
When displayed from a single flagpole, the POW/MIA flag should fly directly below, and be no larger than, the United States flag. If on separate poles, the U.S. flag should always be placed to the right of other flags (the viewer' the flag's own right). On the six national observances for which Congress has ordered display of the POW/MIA flag, it is generally flown immediately below or adjacent to the United States flag as second in order of precedence.
Jose, Carol and Grubb, E You Are Not Forgotten: A Family's Quest for Truth and the Founding of the National League of Families; Vandamere Press (New York); 2008. .
, , , May 19, 2009.
. Report of the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs. . .
(PDF). 5 August 2010.
on the league's website
Story of how the "POW/MIA You Are Not Forgotten" Flag was created
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